Replies To: scheme file:// help

Re: scheme file:// help

Posted 25 October 2013 - 01:10 PM

What do you mean? If you're only looking to open files on your own computer, then you don't need host details, like a domain, IP or port number. You are reading files of your own computer, not something hosted elsewhere.

On Windows, a file path like file:///C:/path/to/file.txt: would read a text file at C:\path\to\file.txt.

Unless you are trying to access files through a local HTTP server? In that case, it's typically just http://localhost/path/to/file.txt, where /path/to/file.txt is a path relative to the web-root of that HTTP server.

Re: scheme file:// help

Posted 25 October 2013 - 06:55 PM

It will access the files on the local computer; the computer running the browser.

So if I am understanding your question correctly, you are trying to have remote users of your website access files on your computer, which is not the computer hosting the website? If that is so, then you are going to have to set up some sort of server on your computer. Computers aren't set up to server their files to remote users by default, you have to set up some sort of a server on a computer for that to work. Like a HTTP, FTP, Samba or SSH server. - Do you have something like that set up?

Re: scheme file:// help

Posted 25 October 2013 - 08:16 PM

There are plenty of free server software out there. In fact, most websites out there are hosted on free software. So that's not a problem.

What is a problem, however, is that these kind of setups are not simple. From your responses here it seems clear that you have little or no experience with these things. Setting up a live server like this, open to the public, in a secure and efficient manner would require a fair amount of know-how when it comes to the server software and it's configuration, not to mention the under-laying OS and perhaps even the network components in between your PC and the cloud. (Home networks tend to require some tampering with the router firewall and/or NAT setup to get services like this through. Port-forwarding, and things like that.)

By opening your computer up to the public, you are painting a bulls-eye on it, and sooner or later (sooner, I'd bet) some people out there will start trying to worm their way into your computer through the server. If you aren't prepared for that, they will no doubt succeed eventually.

Why do you want people to be able to access files from your computer anyway? It would seem simpler to find a free web hosting service and use that instead, moving the files you need people to have access to there. - Although, free services tend to be limited, on way or another. You'd have to pick carefully.